Below is a news release from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) launched the CSF Forestry Advisory Council to bring together the forest industry and the hunting conservation community to work collaboratively to provide guidance to CSF to inform and advance policies that facilitate active forest management, support a robust forest industry, and improve wildlife habitat and access for sportsmen and women.
“So much of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s on the ground and advocacy work is focused on improving forest habitat for the wildlife that our members are so passionate about,” said Ryan Bronson, RMEF director of government affairs. “In recent decades, we have witnessed state and federal policies resulting in declining habitat quality and increasing fire risk, so leveraging the Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation and working with other active forest management advocates on the forest advisory council is going to be a force multiplier for our advocacy efforts.”
The establishment of the CSF Forestry Advisory Council, which will meet regularly throughout the year, builds on CSF’s recently expanded programmatic emphasis on forest policy which will significantly increase CSF’s capacity to engage on state and federal issues that impact both the forest industry and the sportsmen’s community. The CSF Forestry Advisory Council is comprised of organizations and individuals dedicated to promoting sportsmen’s access, wildlife conservation, and sustainable forest management.
“Hunters and foresters have a long history of working together on natural resource management issues dating back to the beginning of the conservation movement in the United States,” said CSF Director of Forest Policy John Culclasure. “The CSF Forestry Advisory Council builds on that tradition, and I’m excited to work with our partners in the forestry and sportsmen’s communities to move the needle on issues impacting our shared forest conservation policy priorities.”
CSF Forestry Advisory Council member organizations and individuals representing the organizations include:
- Craig Anderson, Director of Government Affairs, Forest Landowners Association;
- Ryan Bronson, Director of Government Affairs, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation;
- James Cummins, Immediate Past President, Boone and Crockett Club, and CSF Board of Directors;
- Brian Luoma, CSF Board of Directors, retired CEO and President of The Westervelt Company;
- Deon Nelson, Vice President of Government Relations, National Alliance of Forest Owners;
- Bill Imbergamo, Executive Director, Federal Forest Resource Coalition;
- James McKitrick, Director of Government Affairs, National Association of State Foresters; and
- Tom Spezze, National Director of Conservation Programs, National Wild Turkey Federation.
During the inaugural meeting, the CSF Forestry Advisory Council adopted its charter and by-laws, elected officers, and discussed issues and legislation that will inform CSF’s forest policy prioritization and engagement strategy. Brian Luoma was elected chairman, and Deon Nelson was elected vice chairman.
CSF appreciates the support of the CSF Forestry Advisory Council member organizations and their representatives and looks forward to working with them to advance policies that support active management on private working lands and public lands, state and federal, to support America’s hunting heritage.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)